Coffs Coast

COFFS COAST Rob Taylor

I’m just back from a trip to South Solitary Island (or ‘The Light’, as locals affectionately call the southernmost island in the Solitary Islands chain), and we brought back a couple of 8kg kings in the ice bag. As is usual for this time of year, yellowtail kingfish have been schooling up around the northeast corner of the Light and are falling to trolled lives, jigs and stickbaits. Fish size ranges from 3kg The author with one of the kings he managed to stop.

rats to 20kg+.

The other big news this month has been the ongoing hot bass bite and arrival of the season’s first mangrove jacks. The Clarence has absolutely fired for big solid bass this season, but it seems not all systems are following suit; I did a 6-hour hike along the Nymboida when it opened and only managed one cod. It will improve though as the season progresses.

Offshore anglers have Cameron Hall posted an excellent second placing in the East Coast Sport Fishing Clarence River Bass Open with fish like this.

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25 Memorial Ave, South West Rocks NSW 2431 Robbie Sullivan (right) and his mates bagged this great feed in close off Station Creek. been getting mixed bag sessions, with some fishos finding solid patches of snapper, trag and pearlies and others struggling to get a feed. It’s transition time though as the cool water species start to make way for the warm water glamour crew of pelagics to arrive and take all the attention.

Let’s take a look at what the next few weeks should deliver as we run into Christmas.

CREEKS, RIVERS

AND ESTUARIES

As mentioned, bass are pretty much everywhere at the moment and the bite should only improve as the cicadas start their deafening summer shrill. While the bigger systems are sure-fire locations, don’t overlook the smaller creeks as the fish should

be right up in the upper reaches by now. Cod will also be jumping on lures such as spinnerbaits and crankbaits of all sorts. At the time of writing, access into the Junction on the Nymboida was still blocked (you can of course do what I did and walk in but it’s a fair hike including a heartbreak hill). Hopefully NPWS gets this sorted as the sign on the gate does say it should have opened on 1 November. Expect to find some good bass and cod fishing if you can put the effort in on the Mann and Nymboida systems.

In the salt, big flatties, jacks and GTs will be there for the taking, as will large whiting on the flats. It’s a great time of year to be in one of the local creeks or rivers flicking some lures around. Drifting live baits such as poddy mullet along the break Laurie Banks with a good-sized king taken from the Light on a trolled livie.

Cameron Hall is fast making a name for himself on the tournament circuit. walls of the bigger rivers such as Wooli, Urunga and Nambucca will produce big lizards and jacks. ROCKS AND BEACHES

Some really good jewfish have been taken by fishos throwing lures off the rocks and baits off the beaches. Pick your time and tide and you too can lock horns with a silver ghost. Tailor will still be around but their numbers will dwindle as the water warms. In their place, whiting, bream and dart will start moving into the beach gutters so all up the rocks and beaches are well worth a prospect at this time of the year. OFFSHORE

Way out wide there are still good numbers of striped marlin along the 100m line, and some big blues and small blacks should start jumping on baits and lures by the time you read this. There might, and I repeat, might, be the first smatterings of Spanish mackerel taken by the super eager anglers. If any Spanish are caught it will be from around the bigger islands of North and South Solitary. Keep an eye on the water temp and current movements as there are always a few lone fish which turn up ahead of the main summer mackerel run in February.

As always, snapper, kingfish and bottom species like tuskies and pearl perch will be on the reefs, with the kings etc out on the deeper grounds from 30m east. The snapper should be fairly well spread out in all depths.

Two final words before signing off this month’s report are to wish you all a merry and safe Christmas out on the water, and a quick shout out to local tournament angler, Cameron Hall, who managed an excellent second placing in the East Coast Sport Fishing Clarence River Bass Open which wrapped up in October. Well done Cam!